Taking on the Abandoned Boats!

Charleston Waterkeeper, in collaboration with Olive Productions, is preparing to launch a campaign targeting the abandoned and derelict boats disbursed throughout Charleston’s waterways.

The State of South Carolina has recently passed legislation banning the abandonment of watercrafts. These vessels not only pose a threat to the safety of recreational boaters, but they are also environmental hazards, eyesores and economic burdens. The recent statute, enforced by the Department of Natural Resources, delegates the responsibility of removing these vessels to local municipalities. As a result, an “every man for himself” environment has been created.

We wholeheartedly believe that two heads are better than one.We also believe that hundreds of heads are better than two. For this reason, we have created a Google Map that will display the location of every abandoned boat throughout Charleston’s waterways.But we need your help!

What’s the best thing about this map?It is made up of information extracted not by a team of paid staffers devoted to this project, but instead by the passionate public…the hundreds of individuals who know these waterways like the back of their hand.

Every local fisherman knows the location of an abandoned boat or two (after all, that’s where the trout hang out in the summer!), every sailor knows which side of the channel to hug to avoid running into a submerged object, and just about every person driving over the Ashley River bridge has seen the cluster of abandoned boats left dying along the marsh.We are tapping into this knowledge and compiling an inventory of information that will truly identify the severity of this issue.

This map is based on an open source format, thus allowing anyone with valid information to contribute.Since the map was first introduced on www.CharlestonFishing.com two days ago, nearly 30 abandoned boats have been identified.

To add an abandoned boat that has not yet been included in the map, click here.Hit the “edit” button on the left of the page, zoom in to the location of the vessel, drag and drop a pin onto the location of the boat, and then click “save” when you’re done!

This is the first step in a large campaign designed to address the abandoned boats as a “big picture.”We are firm believers that “mass collaboration changes everything.”We hope to prove this theory right. Contribute to this cause…BECOME A MEMBER OF CHARLESTON WATERKEEPER TODAY!